Philippians 4:4-9. We encounter thousands of random facts every day – things pop up on our phones, we read them in newspapers, we hear talking heads report them on TV. Most of these facts have little relevancy to our daily life. “The Lord is near” is not one of those irrelevant facts. It’s a truth that sends ripples through our being and behaving – it inspires us to rejoice, calls for prayer, and so much more.

It is so easy to stay focused on things in this world – after all, we live here. But we are challenged by the Apostle Paul to keep our hearts and minds on things above. Let’s try to understand how to apply this advice.

Romans 7:14-25a. It would be nice if our salvation/redemption made us perfect, but it is not that simple. However, even though we are not perfect we are also not condemned because Christ is perfect on our behalf.

Early in the Book of Acts the mission of the church became evident to all the apostles. It was a simple and profound mission. The church was and still is sent into the whole world. Let’s think about how we at ECC embrace this sending mission. Reading: Acts 13:1-5

Forgiveness is not easy, especially when the offense is large. However, the alternative is worse – holding a grudge. When we make a deliberate and sometimes painful choice to forgive, there is a weight that is lifted from our hearts. Let’s think about the nature of forgiveness.